markets on-edge. breaking overnight. caught on camera. a dramatic crane collapses, as the cab bursts into flames, dangling over a school. powerball nation. americans lining up for a shot at nearly $500 million payout. are there ways to boost your chances of winning? and the griswolds are back. the cast from that goofy classic, as you've never seen them before. good tuesday morning, everyone. with drastic spending cuts and tax increases looming in just over a month, republican lawmakers appear ready to deal. >> long-time tax breaks, like the mortgage interest deduction, could be on the chopping block. abc's tahman bradley is live in washington with more on the intense negotiations that are

now under way. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, rob and bapaula. some republican lawmakers are signaling a willingness to cut a deal with president obama. but doing so, it would require republicans to break a long-standing gop pledge. some republican lawmakers say they're now willing to defy party politics and cut a deal on taxes. if congress doesn't act, $650 million of spending and tax increases will take place on january 1st. but there's fresh hope in washington that republicans and democrats can strike a deal. >> the world has changed. >> reporter: the biggest obstacle is a pledge of no tax increases of virtually any kind that every republican has signed. but with fiscal calamity on the horizon, some gop lawmakers have changed their tune. >> i will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country.

>> reporter: defying the pledge would buck 20 years of republican orthodoxy. this is the man behind the pledge. he's gotten thousands of republicans to sign the pledge, in exchange for help getting elected. the lawmakers open to breaking the pledge say they will do so by closing loophole, not raising taxes, putting them at odds with president obama, who was re-elected by pledging to let tax cuts expire for the wealthiest americans. >> the president has made clear that he will not sign a bill that extends the bush-era tax cuts or those making more than $250,000. >> reporter: the republicans open to breaking the pledge say entitlement reform must be part of the discussions. both sides, working behind the scenes to find common ground. rob and paula? >> whiffs of a compromise. tahman bradley in washington. thanks, tahman. and the next secretary of state choice faces critics on capitol hill. susan rice meets behind closed

doors with top republican lawmakers. they have been critical of her comments on the september 11th attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. senator john mccain is chief among her critics. but he backed off his threat to block her nomination. those two are set to meet tuesday. there's rising tension in egypt this morning, among opponents of that country's president, mohamed morsi. things started getting rough on the streets of cairo, with protesters hurling molotov cocktails at police. they are seething about morsi's powers of placing himself beyond judicial review. a massive demonstration by morsi's opponent is planned for today. we wanted you to check this out. from australia, early this morning. look at that. a crane, high above the streets of sydney caught fire. and then, the crane's arm falls on the roof of a nearby building. the rain operator escaped down a loader. no one was injured.

the site was closed for a time. two weeks ago, concerns that diesel was leaking from the crane. the crane's owner also owns the crane in new york that collapsed during hurricane sandy. >> interesting there. and speaking of sandy, one month after the month monster s the financial toll keeps growing. andrew cuomo says the repair for the state and new york city will top $32 billion. and the fallout continues at lipa, the long island utility company that's under fire for its slow response to the storm. another top executive and a board member have resigned. and next door in new jersey, which suffered $30 billion in losses, governor chris christie just announced he is running for re-election. christie's won praise and newfound popularity with the handling of the storm. he will seek another term next year so he can continue leading the state through what is inevitably going to be a long

recovery. and a blast of wintry weather is slamming parts of the northeast this morning, creating a sloppy mess for millions of commuters. the storm is bringing snow to pennsylvania, new jersey and new york. that's going to be mixed with rain along the coast. it could delay school openings and bring traffic to a crawl during the morning rush. not what you want to hear this morning. for the latest on the snow, let's turn to accuweather and meteorologist jim dickey, telling us exactly what we can expect. >> good morning, rob and paula. tracking a storm system here, that will drift its way across the mid-atlantic and out to sea. it will spread light snow this morning. through west virginia and southern pennsylvania, and new york city. many spots, one to three inches expected. it's mainly on the grassy spots. on a few locations, the slick spots on the roadways. take your time as you head out the door this morning. >> back to you. >> as for weather elsewhere, mostly rain to the south of all of that snow. thunderstorms around atlanta,

tallahassee, montgomery and new orleans. a cooler day in texas. snowshowers in the upper midwest, from duluth to marquette, michigan. >> mostly 30s in the midwest. 40s in the great plains. 27 in fargo. and near 80 in phoenix. when we come back, federal agents make sure a major food company won't be open for business today. and behind the scenes on cyber monday. what was going on at amazon.com while you were shopping? and then, a heart-stopping close call with a car for this toddler, as his panic-stricken father looks on. i'm only in my 60's...

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welcome back, everybody. well, the biggest online shopping day in history has just ended. the cyber monday numbers aren't all in just yet. but it appears online shopping was up more than 28% from a year ago. there were fears that this weekend's billion dollars in internet sales would eat into cyber monday. but that did not happen at all. sales were particularly strong on ebay and amazon. and speaking of amazon, they took abc news inside 1 of their 80 fulfillment centers. this one in the city of phoenix. and its 1.2 million square-foot facility, along with miles of conveyor belts. orders pop up on a scanner. and the products are taken off a shelf by hand and dropped into a bar-coded yellow bin. everything in the warehouse has a bar code so the merchandise can be shipped within hours. the fda has shut down the

largest maker of organic peanut butter. investigators found salmonella all over sunland's plant, which was supposed to reopen today. sunland peanut products were sold to whole foods, safeway, target, as well as other large chains. over the course of your wireless contract, your phone's going to take a lot of abuse. so, samsung wants you to know your new galaxy phone or tablet will last, by releasing the video showing the stress tests. one of them, a robot's backside in jeans, that sits on a phone, over and over and over. >> that's how i broke my last phone, with the phone in the pocket and cracked the screen in 1,000 ways. good to see that. >> don't sit down, ever. when you have your phone. >> hard in this job. >> we're stand right now, actually. when we come back, game on.

powerball fever spikes across the country. but can anything really give you a winning edge? and then, cam's the man in "monday night football" action. putting up some pretty impressive numbers. [ scratching ] you're not using too much are you, hon? ♪ nope. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is so soft you'll have to remind your family they can use less. charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. don't worry, there's plenty left for you dad. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft? like say, gas station sushi. cheap is good. and sushi, good. but cheap sushi, not so good. it's like that super-low rate on not enough car insurance. pretty sketchy.

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here in new york last night, the empire state building got more than a little funky. it was a first of its kind light show to debut the building's new lighting system. the lights are more vibrant than the floodlights that used to illuminate the landmark. snow-covered highways from central pennsylvania into new jersey and new york city. a slushy ride from boston down to d.c. also, rain soaks highways in the carolinas, northern florida and much of the gulf coast. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible for the northeast and new york, philadelphia and d.c., plus, in

new orleans. this holiday season, forget visions of sugarplums dancing in people's heads. right now, everyone seems to be dreaming of a fortune instead. >> that vision is winning wednesday night's record powerball jackpot, worth at least $425 million. in 42 states and washington, d.c., people are lining up for their chance at almost $500 million. at 2 bucks a ticket, they figure, why not? >> we call it the red neck retirement fund. sooner or later, someone's going to get it. >> reporter: you have to be in it to win it. but the $2 ticket has a 1 in 175 million chance of winning the jackpot numbers. the prize has grown so large because no one has hit the prize for 16-straight draws. as the fortune grow, so do the lines. this morning, georgia lottery officials are apologizing to

powerball players who faced slow machines. >> they need to hurry and get the system up. >> reporter: some players said the machines were down altogether. but late monday, georgia lottery officials say things appear to be running normally. then, the question that big players are asking. how can they increase their odds of winning? the only way is to buy more tickets. so, if you want a bigger chance of winning, look for a smaller lottery that's not causing nationwide fever. and if you don't want to share, try staying away from numbers commonly thought of as lucky, like 7 and 11. and if $425 million doesn't sound like enough for you, hang on. all you greedy folks out there. powerball officials say ticket sales have been so strong, they might hike the jackpot later today. unbelievable. >> i know where i'm going after work. just saying. some stunning surveillance camera video to show you from the crash of a navy jet in

virginia beach back in april. the jet flies hauntingly close to the camera as it plummets into apartment buildings. amazingly, no one was killed in the crash. two aviators ejected a few feet above the ground. the fire consumed several buildings before being brought under control. close call. the owner of a georgia jewelry store is a very grateful man this morning. that's his 16-month-old son standing in front of dad's store. just 35 seconds later, a car crashes right where the child had been standing. the father said he watched in horror as the child was sent flying. but the little boy, he's doing just fine. the driver apparently, we heard this before, hit the gas instead of the brake. >> that's a miracle there. a new warning about the dangers of consuming grapefruit while taking certain medications. researchers say that taking prescription drugs with

grapefruit can cause harmful or fatal interactions. those involve 85 oral medications, including pills for heart problems, pain and psychiatric conditions. for a list of those specific drugs, check out our website at abcnews.com. a u.s. astronaut and a russian cosmonaut have been chosen to spend a whole year aboard the international space station. the american spaceman is scott kelly, whose brother is astronaut mark kelly. the stay in space will provide medical information for trips to mars. and back on earth, it is time for some sports news and a monday night battle between two of the nfl's most troubled teams. highlights, now, from espn. >> randy scott here with your espn update. we start with "monday night football." a match-up of the two worst records in the nfc. cam newton and the panthers, taking on the eagles in philadelphia. first quarter. panthers down three. but cam newton's changing that.

hooks up with jerry barnidge. for newton, his first touchdown of the game. to brandon lafell. 43 yards on the pitch and catch. second quarter, bryce brown, getting the start for philadelphia running back lesean mccoy, who is out. 65 yards to the house. that's the longest rushing touchdown for the eagles this season. cam newton, taking off, from the 2 yard line. and he is in there in the third quarter. that deserves the superman swag. the whole thing when you take off from that far away. bryce brown, five-yard touchdown. 178 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns. matching lesean mccoy's touchdown total in ten games. his second fumble, and the panthers would take over. they capitalize. panthers up two. second and goal. cam newton leads his team in

rushing. his second rushing touchdown of the night to go with two through the air. ensuing kickoff, brandon boykin, trying to get philadelphia something. field position. you have to hang on to the football. oh, barnidge. he had the touchdown earlier. panthers get the win, 30-22. third time in cam newton's career that he had two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in the same game. i'm randy scott. have a great day. >> my eagles. up next, "the pulse," this morning. and 'tis the season. fans of the griswolds' christmas is coming early this year. and the "two and a half men" star with a surprising message. don't watch my filthy show anymore. [ male announcer ] this is bob, a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem,

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♪ i found out long ago some place down the holiday road ♪ that music sounds familiar. >> you know that jam. absolutely. >> especially this time of year. we're going to check in with "the pulse," and begin with one of the nation's most dysfunctional but beloved families, the griswolds. >> who could forget chevy chase and beverly d'angelo. that was 23 years ago. and, yes, they're back. reprising their roles in a new ad for old navy. take a listen. >> behold, the griswolds lighttacular. >> sparky, i love it. >> it's magnificent. >> the focus on the lit-up pants than the house.

there's no family that's more all the way than the griswolds. >> got to agree with that one. >> no doubt about that. the child star who put the half in "two and a half men," has turned on the hit sitcom. bashing the hit show as part of the devil's plan. >> the show made angus t. jones one of hollywood's highest-paid teens. earning $8 million a year as jake. but after a religious conversion with the seventh dayed a venntist church, he told viewers -- >> please stop watching it. stop filling your head with filth, please. >> he says there's not much he can do because he's under contract for another year. so far, no comment from cbs or the show's producers. but he says their moral compass doesn't align with his moral compass. and he's convicted of that

because of his conversion. >> the moral compass after making millions of dollars. any plans for new year's eve? for a couple hundred bucks you can ring in 2013 with kim kardashian in las vegas. hey, girl. the reality show star is set to be at the mirage hotel that evening and get paid a pretty penny for the event. >> and what a payday for kim. sources say she could make $300,000 for just a couple hours of work. in return, she walks the red carpet, hangs out with v.i.p.s. if she eats because she is on another crash diet. >> it paid off, clearly. i love you, kim. plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel®, etanercept, suppresses your immune system,

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off situation on treasure land police closed off the island. we are live with the latest. how it could impact your commute. crime scene across several blocks in milpitas after a suspect fires on police. meteorologist lisa argen has the weather. dry now, it will be for the rest of the day. get set for a wind advisory.ows marquette, michigan. thunderstorms, from new orleans up to the carolinas. and finally this morning, oscar buzz building for a film called "zero dark 30." >> it's the search for and the killing of osama bin laden. as martha raddatz reports, it centers around a rather unlikely heroine. >> reporter: it is the story everyone thinks they know. the stealthy nighttime raid by s.e.a.l. team six. sweeping the bin laden compound in pakistan. >> you're in the sand and the

sound of the rotor wash. and you can't see anything. >> reporter: "zero dark thirty" has it all. but the oscar-winning team behind "the hurt locker" focused on a stunning twist in this story. at the center of a decades-long manhunt, a top female cia officer. played in the movie by jessica chastain. >> i didn't want to use you guys. >> i was blown away at the heart of this hunt was this young woman who had a kind of tenacity and dedication and courage. she would never say no. >> you're going to kill him for me. >> reporter: it was maya, as she's called, who relentlessly focused on a long-forgotten bin laden currier. the link that would lead to the terrorist himself. >> got it. >> reporter: i'm curious what she thought about it? at one point che thought she

would be the focus of the movie. >> a lot of people i spoke to were in an unusual position. they were proud of what they had done. but they had resigned that what they had done was not something they could talk about publicly. >> reporter: for one very good reasons. hollywood movie or not, many of the real stars are back at work, back in the shadows. martha raddatz, abc news, los angeles. >> hmm. they're all heroes. early reviews, stunning on that movie. >> january 11th it comes out. good morning. 4:30 a.m. on this tuesday morning. thanks for joining us. a lot of police action going on t